According to the Finnish authorities, the vessel was responsible for damage caused to the EstLink 2 underwater electricity cable between Estonia and Finland on December 25.

The Cook Islands-registered Eagle S is believed to be part of a so-called Russian "shadow fleet" used by Moscow to circumvent sanctions, including a price cap on Russian oil, The Kyiv Independent reports Finnish national broadcaster Yle as saying.

Finnish police initially detained the tanker on December 28, treating it as evidence in a criminal investigation. The ship's owner, Caravella LLC FZ, which is based in the United Arab Emirates, appealed to the court to release the vessel.

The seizure of the tanker is also being demanded by three Finnish companies – state-owned network operator Fingrid, telecoms company Elisa and state-owned network company Cinia – along with Estonian systems operator Elering, to ensure the cost of repairing the damaged cables is recovered. All three submitted their requests to the Court on Friday.

The Finnish police have asked for the trial to be held in private and for the court documents to be kept confidential.

Finnish investigators are currently questioning Eagle S crew members about the alleged incident. Authorities expect the initial phase of the investigation to take several weeks and while the full investigation will last several months. A technical investigation is currently being conducted on the basis of the findings, while testimonies are also being taken from the crew.

On Friday, Sweden announced that it would send a warship to participate in the investigatation into the circumstances surrounding the damage to EstLink 2. The Swedish vessel is designed to rescue submarines and can also be used as a diving base. According to the Swedish government, Finland requested its assistance.

---

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!